An important indicator of health is the heart rate, that is, the number of contractions or beats of the heart per unit of time, usually per minute. Under normal conditions, a person has between 60 and 100 beats per minute, athletes can reduce these beats below 60 per minute. If the heart rate rises more than 100 beats per minute, it is called tachycardia and if it is below 60, bradycardia. These heart rhythm disorders are called arrhythmias. An arrhythmia, while harmless, can be a sign of a heart or health problem that needs to be treated right away.
To understand why an arrhythmia occurs, we must know how the heart works. The main function of this muscle is to pump blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. For this to happen, the heart has an electrical system that ensures that it contracts in an orderly fashion. The electrical impulse that signals the heart to contract begins in an area called the sino-atrial node or sinus node, it is the heart’s natural pacemaker. The signal travels along a series of routes through the heart, carrying nerve messages to make the heart beat faster or slower. If this electrical conduction system experiences any problems, such as electrical signals that are blocked or delayed, an arrhythmia occurs. The most common arrhythmias or abnormal heart rhythms are: atrial fibrillation or flutter, which is an uncontrolled contraction of the muscle fibers of the heart, and tachycardia, an increase in heart rate for no apparent reason.
Atrial fibrillation is usually associated with heart diseases such as hypertension or heart attack, but it is also associated with people who are obese, sedentary, consume alcohol and stimulants, stress or have a family history of heart problems. It is very common, especially in people over 60 years of age, it causes the heart rate to go faster, to be irregular and inconsistent even at rest, “it is as if the heart were trembling, it can cause the formation of clots inside the heart which that can prevent the total emptying of blood in the atria. These clots could travel to other areas of the body, causing serious consequences such as stroke or peripheral arterial embolism” explains Dr. Jaume Riba Casellas, specialist in Cardiology at Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona.
To correct these irregular heartbeats that cause arrhythmias, electrical cardioversion is used, “a procedure that administers a brief electric shock in a controlled manner in order to stop rapid cardiac arrhythmias, both regular and irregular, and thus restore the normal rhythm of the heart.” heart”, adds the cardiologist. The patient must be sedated to avoid discomfort when the electric shock occurs. Two mechanical paddles, connected to a defibrillator, are placed on the thorax, protecting the skin so that burns or irritation do not occur, in such a way that the heart remains between the two paddles and the electric shock. Once everything is prepared, the controlled discharge is applied, which lasts less than a second, and it is verified that the heart rhythm has recovered. After the procedure, and recovered from anesthesia, the patient can go home on their own foot.
Prior to cardioversion, the patient must fast for eight hours. In emergency situations, “it is recommended to perform a transesophageal echocardiogram to check if there are clots in the heart that could cause complications. In these cases, cardioversion is postponed for three or four weeks,” Dr. Riba points out. If the procedure is not urgent, the specialist may recommend treatment with anticoagulants. It must be taken into account that electrical cardioversion does not cure arrhythmia, it is a temporary treatment to restore normal heart rhythm, therefore, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, taking care of heart health and controlling blood pressure is important to prevent heart disease. risk of an arrhythmia.
The diagnosis of atrial fibrillation is achieved through an electrocardiogram. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the specialist can recommend electrical cardioversion, perform cardiac ablation that consists of applying cold or heat to cause small scars in the heart, thus blocking irregular electrical signals and restoring normal heartbeat, or prescribing medication ( pharmacological or chemical cardioversion) to restore heart rhythm. The treatment chosen will depend on the severity of the arrhythmia and the possible heart diseases that the patient may have. And of course, it is advisable to change lifestyle habits to improve heart health.